Getting Gorgeous With Degree

I went to an event last week in NYC called Getting Gorgeous with Degree. It was an opportunity for companies and bloggers to meet and continue or establish relationships. The event was hosted and created by Audrey McClelland and Vera Sweeney. I am a huge fan of both of these women and the work they do online so it was a no brainer to attend this real life event.

I knew it would be great, but I got way more than I bargained for. The promise of meeting fabulous companies like Degree, Hanes and Goody was upheld.  I also got to meet the sisters behind Shopafrolic (Liz Lang and Jane Wagman) an amazing new service site that finds the bargains for you! It’s like a stylist in your laptop.

I sipped a mimosa made by the lovely gents at the Simply Orange booth while I chatted with Sarah Potempa. Sarah is not only hair stylist to the stars, but she is a delightfully gracious woman who (lucky for me) is coming out with a new ceramic straightening iron which you can be sure I’ll be trying out on this mop soon. 

I grilled the ladies from Weight Watchers about a Droid app and they assured me it was coming within weeks. Yay! I got to chat Drop Dead Diva with the women from Lifetime Moms and tasted an incredible guacamole/hummus blend from Moe’s that’s available at BJ’s Wholesale. I know it sounds odd but I swear it was delicious.

Just in time for the weather to warm up, I got a new pair of Flip Out sandals with cute little interchangeable charms that make it like having two pairs in one. And really, can a girl ever have too many pairs of flip flops?**

Perhaps the best part of the day though was getting to spend time with the amazing bloggers I know from all over the East Coast. Since I moved to New Jersey, I have relied a lot on the virtual friends I have made via twitter and blogging. These women and men have been there to make me laugh, answer questions and just overall help me feel connected and heard especially when things can still get lonely in my new home state. Their presence in my life, even virtually, has been more important than they’ll ever know. Sure, we see each other here and there at events and functions, but there is never seems to be enough time to actually hang out so the bulk of our relationship exists in one way posts or 140 character conversations.  It is hard to explain to people who don’t spend as much time online as I do why I care about these people and believe me, when most of your time together is through a screen you begin to question it yourself too.

So last Saturday when I got some time with people I adore like Rebecca, Jessica, Maria and Beth. I also met for the first time, Nancy and Melissa and I felt affirmed. These people are as incredible in real life as I think they are online. I am ever grateful to Audrey and Vera for providing the opportunity that reminded me of that. (I have not pictures as I was too busy taking it all in!) 

The talk is that there will be other Getting Gorgeous events throughout the year. You can bet I will do all I can to make sure I’m there.

** I will review certain products from these sponsor companies at a later date.